Hope For The Nekross
by NeversideFaerie
Summary: Tom, Ursula and Michael receive a mysterious message from an unknown wizard in danger, who seems to have found the Nekross in a very unusual location. Set during series 3, after "The Quantum Effect".
1. Chapter 1

Contains mild fantasy violence and scary scenes

Chapter One

It was late at night in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.

A guardsman gave the pottery wing one last check before switching the lights off. He nearly called out "Goodnight!" out of instinct, but realised that would be facetious. There was clearly nobody in the museum other than the guards, and if there was, he'd soon know about it. He exited the darkened wing, glad this particular room had no mannequins peering at him with their shiny glass eyes, threatening to tear down his maturity with suggestions of slight movement. He moved onto the jewellery section, not giving the room a second glance.

Once he was gone, the wing fell eerily silent.

However, if you had been listening attentively, you might have been lucky enough to hear the almost inaudible "click" as a grate was carefully removed from the wall. Two legs slid into the gloom, alongside the rest of the intruder's body - not that anyone would have known had they been watching. The burglar had been very careful to perform an invisibility spell before he had begun his mission. Now he was inside the museum, he crawled furtively along the floor, keeping an eye out for any guardsman. Granted, they couldn't possibly see he was there, but the charm didn't nullify the fact that they would tumble head over heels if they accidentally walked straight into him.

Someone was patrolling the jewellery section. If he wanted any chance at grabbing the Hope Diamond, he would have to wait for them to move on. The criminal crouched behind a large case, upon which was a ming vase, worth millions, but not nearly as much as the Hope Diamond was going to bring him.

The guard finished scanning the jewellery area, and walked back toward the pottery zone. The thief held his breath as the security man paced toward his hiding place, gun in arms, always on the lookout for the slightest hint of trouble...

Phew! The guardsman had missed him. Whilst he made his way past the pottery cabinets, the burglar knew he had to act fast. He crept silently toward the jewellery cases, keeping an eye out for one piece in particular. It didn't take him long to find it. The museum staff had made a show of putting the blue diamond in a small, solitary cabinet without ostentation. There was no need for it - the diamond was stunning enough on its own.

It also happened to be surrounded by several security laser beams.

The thief contemplated how he was going to surpass those. He had two spells left, and now was the time to use one of them.

"Mae raek dah," he hissed, snapping his fingers quietly.

A soft, orange glow briefly enveloped his body - or at least where it would have been had you been able to see him. He quickly checked over his shoulder, just in case someone had noticed, before getting down to business. He reached his arm straight through one of the laser beams. Nothing happened. All was working so far.

The invisible man stepped through the security system without so much as a buzz sounding. He delved inside his backpack, pulling out a whistle. This was no ordinary whistle either - it had been delicately pitched to make a sound so high that no human could hear it, and it was perfect for shattering glass. Not only that, but it was a magical whistle that could crack the glass and make it tumble to the ground without a single noise.

He glanced at the camera positioned a few metres away from his head. Once he had his hands on the jewel, he'd have to act fast before the guards spotted what he'd done. He held up his bag, ready to snatch the gem the moment he was in. The whistle was pressed to his mouth. It wouldn't be long before the legendary Hope Diamond was his for the taking. He hesitated, trying to calculate just when to make his move. It wasn't everyday that he attempted to snatch a priceless jewel from right under the noses of the country's top security men...

"Surrender, wizard!" barked a gruff voice suddenly.

The intruder involuntarily piped his whistle, and the glass smashed dramatically. He swivelled round to find himself face to face with none other than King Regent Varg, who was pointing a deadly-looking weapon in his direction, with Lady Lyzera at his side.

The whistle clattered to the floor.

"How in tarnation did you find me?" cried the startled wizard, holding up his arms.

"Surely you did not suppose a powerful protection spell could go unnoticed by our superior Nekross technology," taunted Lyzera.

Shoot! thought the thief. Breaking into a museum was all about taking risks, and it seemed he'd now taken one risk too many. Why hadn't he used a softer enchantment to penetrate the laser beams?

"Do not think that your wizard trickery makes you invisible to our scanners," said Varg, before the intruder could make a getaway, "There is no escaping the might of Nekron."

"OK!" confessed the burglar, "I messed up! My bad! Shoot me! Extract my magic! Do whatever you want with me!"

"Husband," whispered Lyzera, "I would prefer it if I could behold my prey. That way I will see his terrified face as the magic is sucked from his very bones."

"Certainly, my Lady."

Varg held up a scanning device and pressed a knob. Instantly, a man in his mid-twenties with short mahogany hair and dark eyes materialised before him.

"Whoa!" The thief noticed his spell had been overridden.

"An invisibility spell is no match for the Nekross," explained Varg with a chuckle, "Prepare to meet your doom, wizard!"

"I should have known this was coming..."

Lyzera's tentacles had started writhing in a peculiar manner. "Varg?" she hissed, "Do you sense that intoxicating magic?"

The king regent paused. His feelers began squirming in a similar fashion. "I do indeed feel it, my Lady."

Lyzera strolled toward the Hope Diamond's case and peered behind the captive wizard.

"I do not believe it!" she exclaimed, "A gemstone of mighty power!"

Just like my necklace, she thought. It looked as though she might well have come across one of Earth's finest opportunities for sorcery.

"Careful!" yelped the wizard just before she was about to step right into the path of the security beams, "If you hit one of those things the police will come swarming!"

As a matter of fact, it was a miracle they hadn't already noticed the rather unusual visitors that had spontaneously materialised in the middle of the jewellery wing.

"I hope you are not deceiving us, wizard," said Lyzera.

"Look, do you want to find out the hard way?"

"You will deliver the gemstone into the Lady's hands, or be instantly obliterated," threatened Varg.

The thief didn't need telling! He took hold of the silver chain from which the famous stone dangled and strolled back through the beams toward Lyzera.

"You have tricked us!" she cried, "These lights are harmless!"

She thrust her hand right through them.

"Don't do that!" shrieked the burglar, but it was too late.

Alarms rang from every corner of the building. Doors burst open, and in sprang the cops, guns at the ready.

"Put your hands in the air and don't move!"

Varg, Lyzera and the crook dropped everything they were carrying and held up their arms.

...

Meanwhile in another part of the establishment, the museum's security chief marched into the surveillance room, accompanied by two armed henchmen.

"What is it that you called me in here for?" enquired the chief as he approached a member of staff, who was monitoring a screen.

"You're never going to believe this, sir," replied the colleague, wiping his glasses, "I've seen burglars in all sorts of outfits - balaclavas, stocking masks, ninja outfits, but never before in fancy dress!"

"What?" The chief had caught sight of the intruders on one of the observation televisions.

"And that's not all. When we first spotted them...well..."

"Well what, Morecambe?"

"It was weird..." disclosed Morecambe, "It was almost as if they appeared out of thin air...the pair in costume first, then the man in black. I thought it might be a trick so I didn't contact you until the alarms went off."

"This can't be right..." mused the bewildered chief. His walkie talkie went off abruptly.

"This is lieutenant Rogers speaking," said the officer on the line, "We've located the intuders. They're flesh and blood all right. Boy oh boy...this is going to go down in police history..."

...

Two dozen guards had surrounded the trespassers with Lt. Rogers at the front.

"State your names and intention," he ordered.

"I am the Lady Lyzera, Queen Regent of all Nekron," responded the Lady brashly.

"What game are you playing at, kid?" jeered Rogers, "This is the Natural History Museum, not a comic con!"

"Do not insult my wife!" thundered Varg.

"Oh, so this is a family affair, right? Who's the other one - your cousin?"

I do not believe this, thought the burglar.

"Jeremy Wren, actually," he confessed, "I might as well admit it now as nobody's gonna leave me alone if I don't!" There was no use lying. He'd been caught by security now, and it looked as though there was no escape. "Gee, I never thought it would end like this. I've been exposed by a pair of snake-headed aliens!"

He almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. He'd known for ages that the Nekross were a threat to wizards everywhere, but never did he guess they'd ruin his life of crime!

"Who is it under those masks, anyway?" wondered Rogers, approaching Lyzera. He moved his hand toward her face.

"Do not touch my wife!" bellowed Varg.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt her!" He gently rubbed the Lady's chin. "That's some neat prosthetics you've got there, kid. Anyone would think they were attached to your skin!" He touched one of her antennae. Suddenly, he gave a horrible squeak and recoiled, dropping his gun. "That thing...it's..."

The queen regent hissed menacingly.

"...alive," finished Rogers.

Some of the guards began to look worried. If these really were aliens, they were well and truly out of their depth. Worse still, Lyzera's husband had cast what looked like a blaster on the floor. Not only were they dealing with aliens, but armed and dangerous aliens!

Gradually, the pair began to laugh.

"I can see why your sister finds humans so amusing," said the Lady to her husband.

Varg whipped out a spare gun, which he pointed at Rogers. "You will obey my orders, or be instantly obliterated."

"Drop your weapon!" commanded a gunman, "Drop your weapon!"

Varg and Lyzera laughed again.

"You will all surrender," demanded the king regent, "Or your leader's atoms will be turned to dust, alongside every one of you human cattle."

"What did he just call us?" whispered a guard to to his comrade.

"SILENCE!" erupted Varg.

One by one, the security force's firearms clattered to the floor.

"Now, you shall prostrate yourselves before the might of Nekron."

The soldiers kneeled promptly. Jeremy had figured he was no longer their target and had only just relaxed his arms before Varg roughly grabbed him, still holding Rogers at gunpoint.

"You will explicate the power behind this extraordinary gemstone or you also will be instantly obliterated."

"Uh...sure thing...um...Tharg, was it?"

"KING REGENT VARG!"

"Oh, yeah...anyway, the Hope Diamond is supposed to be some 'legendary gem' stolen from a statue in an Indian temple...um...yeah...bad luck is said to have followed all its owners...and, er..." There was a long pause.

"SPEAK, WIZARD!"

"...and in wizard lore it's supposed to be some sort of threshold of enchantment...heck, I guess I didn't do enough research before I went on this mission."

Varg gripped him tighter.

"I trust you are not deceiving us, wizard."

Jeremy tried to reply but he was too scared to make a sound.

Lyzera stooped and picked up an item beside him. She rose upward, her eyes fixed upon it in utter fascination.

"This very stone is the portal to a dimension from which the Nekross may feast for eternity," she mused, "At last, husband, we have no interferences from that infuriating wizard half-form Tom Clarke - the universe may well be at our fingertips."

"The universe, my Lady?"

"With such power, there is nothing we cannot achieve."

She could smell the tantalising magic emanating from the enchanted necklace. If she could get Varg out of the way, her skills in sorcery would soon unlock the secrets this extraordinary jewel contained.

Whilst both Nekross were busy admiring the diamond, Jeremy made a very quick decision. He was a wizard with a shady background, but there was still no way he was going to let his worst enemies try and seize control of the universe right in front of him.

If the Nekross were going to feast on a wealth of magic with no obstruction from Tom Clarke, well then - they could feast on this!

"Patach-dyshaa-dah," he chanted under his breath. Snap!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Gran?"

"Oh! Don't worry, Thomas! I have had plenty of practice over the last few days."

"...and if this experiment does go according to plan, then does that mean the Nekross will no longer be able to fly their ship through our atmosphere or will they just not be able to attack us?"

"I'm not exactly certain. That is why I asked for your help."

Tom positioned a scale model of the Zarantulus on one of the rustic seats found within the Chamber, making sure it was steady, before running for cover under one of the tables.

"Do stop worrying!" insisted Ursula, "Everything will be fine. If I accidentally transform myself into a banshee, Moon will feed me a few berries and turn me back in an instant. I suppose that would actually would be quite nice really...flying around the room without a care..."

"This will be no joking matter, great Mistress!" interrupted Moon, "If you will be a-turning yourself into a wailing demon, Randal Moon will be a-clearing up the shambles!"

"Hush, Moon! You know I wouldn't leave you to struggle. If you perform both spells, there will be nothing to worry about."

The hobgoblin raised his arms. "Toads' tongues and badgers' claws, the Mistress Crowe will be protected by a barrier of enchantment." A glittering force field materialised around Granny. "By the fiery wings of Griffindawn the great, Randal Moon will be a-levitating this sky ship toward the Mistress Crowe."

Tom's spaceship flew gently upward, picking up speed, before hurtling in the direction of Ursula. The model struck the barrier at top speed, smashing into hundreds of pieces.

"Oh...dear," said Granny disappointedly, "That wasn't quite what I was expecting." She stuck her hand through the force field to deactivate it and bent down to pick up what was left of the little Zarantulus. "I'm glad we did not attempt this upon the Nekross spaceship. They may be cold-blooded monsters, but I most certainly don't want their cold blood on my hands." She dropped the shattered remains back on the floor. "Pass me a bucket, Moon."

Tom clambered out from underneath the bench, horrified to see his creation had been completely annihilated. He'd been hoping that once the operation was over, he could get out his old action figures and engage them in a daring battle against his snake-headed foes. Doctor Who and Luke Skywalker were probably breathing sighs of relief that Gran's spell had defeated them already!

As Ursula scooped up the pieces into the container, Tom caught sight of a series of words in stonescript forming on the scrying mirror.

"Er...Gran? Is it meant to do that...?"

Granny's head swivelled. "It's a message," she replied, moving toward the mirror.

"This will be no frivolous matter!" cried Moon, "If a wizard will be contacting the bloodline Crowe in stonescript, that will be because they are unable to speak in the presence of danger. This will be serious - very serious!"

"You mean...sort of like a magical telegram?" interpreted Tom.

"Precisely," responded Mrs Crowe, "And from the looks of what this message says, it appears we might again end up meeting those ghastly spine-headed monsters."

Tom looked carefully at the writing. "Help. Nekross. Natural History Museum, Washington D.C."

Gran dashed out of the Chamber to grab her coat and gloves. "It will be very late at night in America," she explained to her grandson, who was loitering in the toilet's doorway, "It's best that we wrap up warm."

"Going anywhere, Ursula?" asked Michael, strolling in the landing.

"We've received a message from an unknown wizard who says the Nekross are in the Natural History Museum."

"What are they in the Natural History Museum for!?" Already his mind was starting to form some interesting ideas.

"I don't know, Michael. That's what we're going to find out."

She rushed back into the Chamber, Mr Clarke close behind. When the three of them had arrived back in the main cavern, Moon was already brewing a passing charm.

"Hurry, Moon!" pushed Granny, "There's no time to waste!" She threw Tom his jacket.

"Hold on a minute," butted in Dad, "Are you certain this isn't a trick? I may not know a lot about magic, but I have noticed the Nekross have already contacted you through the scrying mirror. Who's to say they haven't forged that...wizardy writing to trick you into going off on some fool's errand and landing straight in their clutches?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." She wriggled into her coat.

Moon raised his arms and was about to begin the spell when Michael gestured for him to pause.

"I'm not going to let you and Tom go alone," he said to Ursula, stepping beside her.

"Randal Moon will be wishing you the luck of the leprechauns!" encouraged Moon, before chanting the incantation.

...

For a moment, nobody knew where they were.

"Are you sure you've taken us to the right place, Ursula?" asked Dad, venturing forth and walking straight into a cabinet. "OUCH!"

The amber on Granny's cane promptly lit up and everyone could see that they were in some kind of museum exhibit. "Are you all right, Michael?"

Mr Clarke groaned and rubbed his throbbing arm. "Fine, Ursula."

Tom observed a nearby display case. Inside was a selection of deceased insects pinned onto a board.

"This must be the animal section," he concluded, noticing the silhouettes of a variety of creatures in the background. However, there was no sign of any tall, scaly tourists. "What do you think the Nekross are after, anyway?"

"I dread to think," responded Gran, "A museum as large and prestigious as this contains artefacts from all over the world - including the magical world."

"You mean there's stuff here from the Netherside?"

"Perhaps so. Since unenchanteds won't have any idea of the power such items hold, there could easily be dangerous magic lurking somewhere deep in the heart of this museum. We must stop the Nekross from taking it at whatever the cost!"

Meanwhile, a camera closed in on the three visitors...

...

"I don't understand this!" fretted Morecambe, "In all my twenty years as a security guard, I have never - and I mean never - seen a thief get an entire police squadron to surrender. There is something not right going on here."

The chief was about to reply when they were interrupted by another surveillance man. "There are intruders in the animal wing, sir!"

Hadn't there been enough excitement for one night? The chief bent over to the other screen and caught sight of three rather unlikely trespassers. One was a boy in his late teens, the other was a man old enough to be his father and the third was a woman dressed in a dark pink coat, carrying an unusual staff with a glowing jewel on the top. None of them appeared to be wearing any masks or disguises.

The chief pulled out his walkie talkie. "Come in, Sergeant Winston."

"What is it, sir?"

"There are intruders in the animal area."

"Understood, sir."

The chief turned to Morecambe. "As for those snake-headed lizard people, I will deal with them myself."

He marched out the room, guards at his side.

...

"I'm beginning to worry about this, Ursula," said Dad cautiously after they'd been exploring for about a minute,

"If this museum is as large and prestigious as you said, surely that means there'll be guards left, right and centre. We've walked through the entire animal section, and so far we haven't seen any."

A shiver ran down Tom's spine. "I don't like the look of this..."

Everyone halted. The museum seemed even more silent than usual.

"I think I should try an invisibility spell," suggested Granny, "Just to be on the safe side."

"FREEZE!"

Suddenly, half a dozen security officers leapt through the nearby doors.

"I think it might be a bit late for that," confessed Michael, raising his arms.

...

"What do you think you're doing?!" bellowed the chief, advancing into the jewellery section.

Everything he'd seen on camera was completely true - the unconventional visitors had brought every one of his men present down to their knees.

"Superintendent Blackman!" exclaimed Rogers, spinning round, "Boy oh boy, am I glad to see you!"

"Silence, human!" ordered Varg, eying his weapon as if to place emphasis on the fact it was still there.

"I don't know what game you think you're playing at!" snapped Blackman, "Drop your ray gun NOW, or my men will be forced to take action."

The guards behind him loaded their guns.

Varg only chuckled. "Your threat is futile. You will surrender as well, or this human will be instantly obliterated."

Rogers felt his stomach lurch.

"Now look who's talking!" hollered the chief, "I happen to be the security chief of this entire museum, and I command you to LET THIS MAN GO!"

It was then his walkie talkie went off. "We've captured the intruders, sir," reported Sgt. Winston.

"Good work, Winston. It's been one crazy night!"

"Hey, wait! What the-"

The line went dead.

"Come in, Sergeant Winston." There was no reply.

"Ursula..." groaned an unknown man all of a sudden. Blackman swivelled to see three strangers standing a few metres away from him.

"It was the only thing I could think of!" defended a familiar woman in a dark pink coat.

Tom caught sight of Jeremy. "Did you send us the message?"

"I sure did, Tom Clarke. I overheard these two going on about ya and decided it was time to fight fire with fire."

"What?!" spat the chief, eying Tom's family, "How did you get...?" He broke off.

"You are too late to stop us, wizards!" Varg barked.

"Wizards?" piped up Rogers, "What sorta garbage are you givin' us now? There ain't no such thing as magic!"

"You may soon be obliged to change your mind," interrupted Lyzera, who was now wearing the necklace containing the priceless Hope Diamond alongside her own enchanted jewellery, "This gemstone will unlock a portal from beyond which the Nekross shall feast on a boundless source of magic."

"I beg you to stop!" pleaded Mrs Crowe, "If you attempt to open the gateway, there is no telling what dangers it could hold, both to you and everyone on this planet!"

Lyzera smirked. "Try to stop us, hag!"

"I don't care who put you up to this but this isn't funny in the least!" shouted Blackman, "There is no way any of us are going to be fooled by this wizardry trash. All of you are going to be spending the night in a prison cell...I only hope it's a big one!"

Lyzera whispered something to her husband. Rogers was thrust forward violently and Varg pointed his gun at Tom Clarke. The king regent turned to Ursula.

"You will open the portal, hag, or the wizard half-form will be instantly obliterated."

"No, Gran!" cried poor Tom, but the Mistress stepped forward anyway.

"Pass me the stone," she requested.

Lyzera reluctantly undid the necklace and handed it over.

"Thank you," replied Granny sweetly, before smiling mischievously, "See you later." She sped through an incantation and banged her cane on the floor. Every human in the room vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Varg roared ferociously. "Curse the hag Crowe! I should have obliterated her while I had the chance!"

"She has stolen the Hope Diamond!" fumed Lyzera. This called for serious measures.

While Varg swanned off to see whether the prisoners had transported within near proximity, she fingered her regal necklace and whispered a spell that would soon put their enemies to the test.

...

"Where are we?" squeaked a startled Blackman. His question was soon answered, however, as he caught sight of rows upon rows of elaborate mummy cases, sometimes leaking their disturbing contents.

"The Egyptian room, from the looks of it," answered Ursula.

"Wait! How did you...?"

"Cover your ears, Michael," whispered Gran into her son-in-law's ear. He promptly obeyed.

"Hang on a minute!" Rogers pointed in her direction. "Didn't those monsters say you were...?"

Mrs Crowe hissed an incantation. Rogers' eyelids started drooping, alongside every other unenchanted in the room, except for Dad, who was wondering what on Earth she was up to. One by one the security men were lulled into a deep sleep, collapsing to the floor. Michael unplugged his ears as soon as Granny finished chanting the spell.

"You sent them to sleep!" exclaimed Tom, checking to make sure no-one was stirring.

"I also wiped their memories of the last half hour," corrected Ursula, "Hopefully it should also work on anyone monitoring the cameras. We must get a move on, before they wake up!"

"Wait a minute," said Tom, "If there are cameras everywhere, doesn't that mean they'll have filmed everything that just happened?"

Gran paused. She hadn't thought of that. "After we have sorted out the Nekross, I think we ought to pay them a visit." She held up the Hope Diamond for observance. "I can feel the deadly magic inside this gemstone. The Nekross must never get it back, no matter what!"

Suddenly, the jewel was snatched from her hand.

"See ya," taunted Jeremy. He turned and bolted.

"HEY!" shouted Dad. He dived after him.

The burglar charged into the dinosaur hall, the others hot on his heels, relying heavily on Gran's cane to see where they were going.

"I should have known that man would be trouble," realised Granny, "Why else would he have gone into a museum in the middle of the night dressed completely in black? He was after the diamond!"

"You mean we're trying to stop a real live jewellery thief!" said Tom excitedly.

"A real live jewellery thief clutching one of the most dangerous items on the face of this planet: the Hope Diamond was allegedly stolen from an Indian temple and passed from owner to owner over the centuries, but each and every one of them met a grisly fate. They say the diamond is cursed - there is destructive power emanating from deep inside of it."

"You're not saying you believe all that, Ursula?" interjected Mr Clarke.

"Perhaps I wouldn't if I were an unenchanted like you, Michael, but I could feel the enchantment it contains, as has every other wizard that has got close to it. We have come to believe that before the jewel was placed inside the Indian temple, it originally came from the Netherside. Goodness knows who or what created it, but if there is one thing I know, we cannot let this thief have it any more than the Nekross!"

Jeremy hurtled round a corner, but he didn't lose his tail. He desperately scoured his path for something to distract his pursuers. The eyes of the scale dino models seemed to be watching him in the gloom, almost as if they knew of his theft and were angry they could not stop him. Even the hollow eye sockets of the skeletons occasionally flickered with life. He turned another corner and leapt into an exhibit.

Tom's family raced after him, only to find he'd disappeared. They stopped in their tracks.

"Spectacular!" cried Thomas, "We've lost him now!"

"He must be here somewhere," whispered Mrs Crowe.

She wondered over to a series of cabinets in case Jeremy had crouched behind one, whilst Tom investigated an archaeological display featuring dummies pretending to dig up some dinosaur bones in case Jeremy had disguised himself as one of the characters.

In actual fact, Mr Wren had concealed himself inside the archaeologists' canvas tent, and was keeping himself very still in case the others looked in his direction. If he waited long enough, it was possible they would lose interest and move on.

"Erm...Gran..." Tom edged away from the exhibit.

"What is it, Thomas?"

"You might want to see this."

Ursula turned round.

"Now...look very carefully..." Tom pointed toward part of the display.

Jeremy's heart started thumping furiously. He refused to move, breathe or even think.

"Oh, my..." whispered Granny, "I think we might be in more danger than I thought."

"What's wrong, Ursula?" said Michael anxiously.

"The curse has started working - and it is more deadly than I ever imagined."

Dad probed the display frantically. What was she talking about?

"Hang on a minute," he said all of a sudden, "Did that model's eyes just...move?"

There was silence.

Abruptly, the figure's arm jerked upward. His head turned toward them. Mrs Crowe backed away slowly, gesturing to the others to retreat.

Without warning, the mannequin swivelled round and struck a blow at the canvas tent, knocking it flying. Jeremy screamed at the top of his lungs when he saw the person who had discovered his hiding place, and shot out of the exhibit like an arrow. Several of the other dummies began facing them. One of the explorers stepped right out of the enclosure.

"RUN!" shrieked Dad.

Everyone sprinted for their lives. The mannequin army gave chase, marching regimentally to begin with, but quickly gathering speed.

"There must be somewhere for us to hide!" said Ursula, desperately looking left, right and centre for any possibilities but to no avail.

Models all around them were twitching now - and not just human models either. Skeletal limbs started creeping over the guardrails, and spine-chilling roars echoed from deep within their long-disused throats, sometimes right above their heads.

"How do we stop them?!" cried a petrified Tom, as a dinosaur craned its neck in their direction.

"I don't know!" shrieked Mrs Crowe, "The magic is probably too powerful for our spells to have any effect on them."

Michael caught sight of the upcoming section. "I don't know about you, Ursula, but I don't think we're going to need magic to stop them..."

They had made it now into the Korean culture hall, which displayed all sorts of artefacts from different eras in the country's history, including a few models dressed in full oriental getup, clutching blunt but effective-looking wol-dos. Dad leapt over the guardrail, and seized one of the weapons, throwing it to Thomas.

"We're going to sword fight them?" he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Are you certain this is a good idea, Michael?" asked Granny.

"Have you got any better ideas?" responded Mr Clarke, swinging a blade for good measure. He chucked it to his mother-in-law.

Several of the explorers had caught up with them. Tom lunged straight for them with a furious battle cry and whacked the nearest one with all his might. The model went flying. He landed sprawled across the floor with his head and both arms missing, still kicking his legs in the air.

"Nobody threatens a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter of the magical line of Crowe!" bellowed Ursula ruthlessly. She swung round her sword and with a tremendous blow chopped the torso off one of the dummies, which tumbled to the floor noisily, whilst the poor confused legs tried to figure out what on earth they were supposed to do now they were unassisted.

Dad cast Jeremy a wol-do, before grabbing one himself, just as the Korean figures started to twig there was an uninvited guest in their exhibit and reached out to grapple him. Michael rammed one of them with the weapon's handle. Granny had to dive out of the way before it came crashing down into her path. However, she was not quick enough to stop one of the mannequins wrenching her blade from her hand.

"Help, Thomas!" she cried as two explorers seized her arms.

Tom swivelled his head to see her being forcefully dragged away. He stopped what he was doing and raced after her.

Dad was up to his ears in a heated battle with a Korean warrior, powerless to help her. The model had him pinned to the floor, continually moving the fake sword nearer his throat. Michael was fighting it intensely. The metal was just about to touch his skin when suddenly he had a surge of strength and knocked the dummy into the middle of next week.

"I'm glad that's over," he said in relief.

He didn't notice the burly mannequin behind him brandishing a poleaxe. The soldier was just about to strike when Jeremy sprang over and wrestled him to the ground.

Tom chased after his gran, dodging models along the way, when without warning his sword was whipped out of his hand. He peered upward to see a towering diplodocus skeleton, now dangling his weapon in its mouth. The creature growled darkly. A couple of explorers took the young wizard into their custody, yanking him in the same direction as Ursula.

"Dad!" he yelped in terror.

Mr Clarke was busy struggling with a pair of warriors, whilst Jeremy was still engaged in a skirmish with the poleaxe-bearer. Dad ducked abruptly and the models' weapons collided with each other. He rushed out of the enclosure after his family.

Jeremy had just managed to cast off his opponent when a deafening roar made him jump out of his skin. Right above him was a bony dinosaur, bearing its aged but needle-sharp fangs. The burglar screamed at the top of his lungs and ran for all he was worth. The diplodocus pursued him, snarling and snapping its jaws, and as if things couldn't get any worse, the dummy squadron managed to grab both his arms and legs and haul him onto their shoulders. Though Jeremy thrashed and kicked, there was no escape.

The dinosaur stomped and growled behind the crowd of mannequins that were marching Mr Wren to what he concluded must be certain doom...

...

Lady Lyzera was surrounded by writhing snakes of magic.

"Come to me...come to me..." she whispered.

Her necklace gave off even more streams of misty enchantment. They floated down the corridor, dissipating into the air. It would not be long before the Hope Diamond and the wizard halfling would be right within her clutches.

"There is no trace of them, my lady," interrupted Varg out of the blue. Lyzera just about managed to hide the swathes of magic before her husband strode on scene, scowling in frustration.

"How unfortunate, Varg," she responded.

"Raargh! They are as slippery as the king's saliva! They must have transported to another part of the museum. We will have to call down a search party."

"Why do you remember the ways of the old king, dear husband? You are in his place now, my valiant and victorious Varg. If you desire, we could storm this establishment from top to bottom, never settling until we have hunted down every last wizard and ripped the magic from their very flesh!"

Varg chuckled. "If we at last track down the wizard half-form, then you, my lady, may be the first to sip his exquisite magic through your soft magenta lips, from which I have already stolen countless numbers of kisses."

He bent toward her and closed his eyes. Lyzera waited for the impact of his warm, black mouth on her own...when she heard the sound of a door bursting open in another room, and the shrieks and shouts of several familiar voices. The dummies had brought her their enemies.

Varg paused and turned his head. "What is that?"

Whilst he marched into the adjoining section to investigate, the Lady muttered an incantation. The mannequins dumped the captives on the carpet and quickly departed from the jewellery wing, right before the king regent burst into the room. Tom groaned and tried to get up - only to find himself peering into the barrel of Varg's blaster.

Not again, he thought, slumping back to the floor in defeat.

"Consider yourself a prisoner of the Nekross." Varg's eyes narrowed into dark slits.

Lyzera stomped fiercely toward Jeremy, and heaved him onto his feet. She rifled through his black jacket until she grasped a cold, hard object and drew it out, cackling. She was astounded to find that Hope Diamond had inexplicably turned bright red and become wrapped in a small piece of cellophane. Growling in frustration, she threw the sweet over her shoulder and searched Mr Wren's pockets even more

A wicked smile crept upon her face. She slid out a long silver chain, at the end of which was the exquisite blue jewel, twinkling in the little light given by Ursula's cane.

"At last!" she cried, "Within my hand is the key to domination of the universe!"

"Do not be concerned about universal domination, my lady," interjected Varg, "Our primary duty is to provide sustenance for our people."

"Of course, dear husband," replied Lyzera with an uneasy giggle. She slipped the necklace over her head.

"Varg to Zarantulus," said the king regent into his communicator, "Five to beam up."

The Lady stepped out of the way.

The next thing they knew, Tom, Ursula, Michael and Jeremy found themselves on the Zarantulus' transporter pad. Behind them was the massive window displaying the face of the Earth.

"Say goodbye to Earth, enemies of Nekron."

This can't be happening, thought Tom in horror.

One of his deadliest foes had in her possession the entrance to a dangerous magical dimension, and if she found a way of opening it, there was nothing he could do to stop her...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A group of henchmen escorted Dad, Granny and Jeremy to the brig, whilst Varg did not hesitate to drag his arch enemy toward the flight deck. Tom Clarke had escaped from him countless times before; this time he wasn't going to let him get away.

"You have got to stop Lyzera!" begged the wizard, "If she opens the threshold of enchantment, there's no telling what could be inside it!"

"I do not want to listen to your artifice, halfling!"

...

Now Varg was out of the way, Lyzera was free to experiment with her sorcery skills upon the Hope Diamond. She muttered an incantation, and already wisps of magic started leaking from both her necklaces. She fought to restrain herself from lapping up the misty trails flowing around her chest.

A few metres away from her, a mysterious glow appeared on the floor. It grew gradually brighter, and expanded to cover a sizable portion of the carpet. If it had been an opening, it would have nearly been big enough for a person to fit inside...

...

The doors of the Zarantulus' gaol clicked shut, trapping Michael, Ursula and Jeremy inside. The guards exited the room, leaving the captives to bemoan their fate.

"There must be a way out!" Gran fingered the prison bars. "Perhaps we could try an invisibility spell - like Eva Starling!"

"If you want that to work, you'll have to get us out of the cell first," said Dad.

"Aah." Mrs Crowe wandered over to the seating and sat herself down. She pondered for a few moments before her face lit up. "What about a shrinking charm? If we were only three inches tall, this cell would no longer be able to contain us!"

"Do you have any spells left, Ursula? You've already used up two passing charms and you've wiped the guards' memories."

"Oh." She fell silent.

Dad got up and strolled over to the bars. He tapped them to test how strong they were. Once he concluded that they were too sturdy for them to break, he studied the lock. He wriggled the panel around, trying to figure out its weaknesses. Surely if they had the right device it would be possible to pick it.

"Ursula?" he called, "Do you have a safety pin?"

"Not on me, no."

Mr Clarke tried to wrench off the lock mechanism.

"Michael, what on Earth are you doing?" Granny sprang to her feet.

"The only thing that's between us and our freedom is this locking device. I'm trying to see whether it's possible to open it."

"I don't think you'll be able to break an alien locking device with your bare hands! I doubt anything would have an effect on this panel except professional equipment, and I'm certain we don't have anything like that!"

Whilst they weren't looking, Jeremy had removed his rucksack and begun rummaging through its contents. He drew out a large black purse.

"Would this be any use?"

Inside the wallet was a selection of metal instruments in all different sizes.

"I do not believe it..." mused Ursula. A massive smile slowly crept over her face.

Michael gestured to the panel. "Let's get to work!"

...

Tom and Varg had made it to the flight deck now. The king regent strolled over to his throne and thrust Tom on the floor.

"Ow!" said Tom, landing in a rather awkward position.

"Prepare the extractor," Varg ordered Technician Jathro 15, who was nearby.

"As my Excellency commands, it shall be done!"

He went over to one of the computers.

"Let me go, Varg," begged Tom, "I..."

"The extractor is ready, my Excellency."

"I...um..." What could he say?

"Speak, wizard half-form!" Varg was practically breathing down his neck.

"...I might know where Lexi is."

Varg's tentacles arched.

...

Dad, Granny and Mr Wren hurried down the corridor before anyone noticed the state of the holding cell.

"How are we going to get outta here?" asked Jeremy.

"Never mind that, how are we going to rescue Tom?" worried Mr Clarke.

Suddenly, Gran beckoned for everyone to stop. They had made it to a corner. Ursula peered round it cautiously, and spotted two officers coming towards them. If they didn't do something fast, they'd be thrown back in the brig before they could blink.

"I have an idea..." the Mistress whispered to her comrades.

...

Varg was stood in dead silence.

"Are you all right, my Excellency?" enquired a confused Jathro.

Tom studied his enemy's eyes. It looked as though he was contemplating what he'd just said.

"Tell me more, wizard."

Tom smiled uneasily. He thought about the spell he had cast during the battle against Kooth a few months ago when he turned Princess Lexi into a human. Where could he possibly have sent her...?

Unfortunately, the truth was he had no idea! When he had drank the bottle of raw magic, powerful enchantment beyond his ability to control had seethed through his body. The building blocks of matter and reality had been cradled in his hands. He supposed he probably sent Lexi to somewhere in England, but at the same time, he could have sent her anywhere in the world. For all he knew, she could be lost in some obscure part of rural Bangladesh!

Remembering the princess' tender face made him ache with loneliness. He wished he did know where she was.

"I...er..."

"I am waiting, half-form."

Tom racked his brain. Say something! Say something! His life depended on it!

"Varg..." interrupted a female voice.

"What is it, my Lady?" responded Varg. Lyzera was communicating through one of the consoles.

"The portal has opened for me, and it will soon be large enough to enter."

"What?! How is this possible?"

"Never mind about about that, dear husband. We are a few steps away from universal domination!"

"No, Lyzera - you can't!" pleaded Tom.

"Have you not yet drained that infuriating wizard half-form of every last drop of magic, husband Varg?"

"No, my Lady. I will see to it." He grabbed Tom's shoulder roughly and pulled him to his feet.

"Please, Varg, listen to me! If you let me go, then I'll-"

"Enough talking, halfling!"

Tom was shoved into the extractor. Varg chuckled as he rapped furiously on the glass like a caged animal.

"Prepare to meet your doom, Tom Clarke." He grinned menacingly.

All of a sudden, Varg gave a startled cry, and collapsed to the ground. Behind him stood an armed Nekross guard, who appeared to have hit him over the head with his weapon. Jathro swivelled in fright to see what had just happened, only to be knocked out as well. Tom's jaw dropped open.

The mysterious guard removed his helmet, to reveal the familiar face of Michael Clarke.

"Dad!?"

Mr Clarke eyed the extractor thoroughly.

"How do you open this thing?"

He tugged at the door until finally it set Tom free. His son fell upon him in a loving embrace.

"You saved my life."

"Anything for you, Tom."

Granny made her way onto the bridge, rushed over and wrapped her arms round him.

"You're alive, Thomas!"

"Yeah...I think I gathered that."

It was then Tom caught sight of something that sent a pang through his chest.

"That was so brave of you, nearly getting your magic extracted! Your grandad would be proud!"

"Hold on a minute, Gran." He pointed toward the entrance. "Do you realise there's a Nekross soldier standing in the doorway?"

Ursula turned to see a six-foot guard positioned several metres away from them.

The henchman loaded his gun...or was he just pretending to? He pointed it at the trio. "Stick 'em up!" he shouted.

"I should have known." Mrs Crowe trotted over and yanked off his helmet. Underneath was the burglar who had become their reluctant accomplice throughout the duration of the escape plan.

"Wait a minute!" remembered Tom, letting go of Dad, "A few minutes ago, Lyzera sent Varg a message saying she's opened the portal."

"She did what?" Granny paused. "Oh dear! We must get back to Earth as soon as possible! If you two put your helmets back on, it will look as though young Thomas and I are being escorted across the ship."

The phony guards obeyed her instructions, and took hold of their apparent prisoners, albeit much more gently than the actual soldiers. They marched them off the flight deck and toward the transporter room, praying no-one would spot the unconscious Nekross they'd left behind.

...

Lyzera's eyes grew wider and wider, in a similar fashion to the expanding gateway.

"This is the moment I have been waiting for," she reflected, strolling around the illuminated circle, "Finally I - the Lady Lyzera - will become Empress of the universe. No one can stand in my way - not even Tom Clarke!"

She threw back her head and laughed.

"I hope we're not too late for the party," called a voice she was certain she would never hear again.

"Tom Clarke!" The Lady's cheeks flushed scarlet as she turned to face her wizard nemesis. "It is too late! The portal has opened for me, and now I shall enter to find the endless hoards of magic hidden inside."

The room was filled with intense white light, which surrounded her face like a halo.

"Lyzera, listen to me! If you step into that portal, you are going to put everyone on this planet's lives in danger - including your own!"

"I do not take orders from livestock."

Granny dashed on scene.

"Lyzera, please! You have to listen to us!"

The queen regent ignored both of them. She noticed the two Nekross henchmen that had crept up behind the wizards.

"Guards, restrain them."

The soldiers took hold of their arms.

Lyzera paced toward the threshold of enchantment, and carefully edged her way upon the glowing ring, her onlookers staring in terror. She didn't appear to step inside the circle; rather, she seemed to be standing on it. She raised her arms and closed her eyes, relishing the power of the magic that swarmed around her body.

"This magic is beyond intoxicating!" she exclaimed, her voice echoey and distant, "My belly aches for a taste of such superior nourishment..."

She sucked in a fiery rainbow stream, luxuriating the exquisite flavour. This was a feast truly fit for a queen! She chuckled at the thought of what she could achieve now such magic was in her hands...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

All of a sudden, Lyzera clutched her stomach. A choke sounded from her lips, and she collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

"She's been poisoned!" cried Granny, rushing to her aid. She bent over her to check whether she was still breathing. No sound came from the Lady's windpipe. Gran took a deep breath, and sealed her mouth over her lips. Tom took hold of her hand, and pulled up her sleeve, pressing his thumb to her wrist. There was no heartbeat.

"Her pulse has stopped!" he informed Mrs Crowe.

Ursula clamped both her hands over Lyzera's upper chest and pressed down several times, counting aloud. She went on to perform another round of artificial respiration, and then repeated CPR. The Lady groaned and stirred, rolling over. She turned slightly green, and promptly threw up. Tom could sense the deadly magic infused with her vomit.

Dad had taken off his helmet. "Tom? Ursula? Is it just me, or is that portal getting bigger?"

Gran's eyes leapt to the gateway. Indeed it was enlarging, and rapidly so! She scrambled up off the floor, gazing at it in utmost horror.

"I don't know how to stop it!" she shrieked.

"Lyzera!" shouted Thomas, "You have got to shut the portal NOW!"

"I don't know how!" replied the trembling Nekross, looking more like a frightened schoolgirl than a magestic alien monarch.

The light from the circle had grown so bright everyone had to shield their eyes.

"We've got to do something!" cried Tom.

Michael marched over to Lyzera, wrenched the diamond from her neck, threw it on the floor and blasted it into oblivion with his handgun. A blaring inferno erupted from the carpet. Jeremy sprinted to a nearby wall, grabbed a fire extinguisher and buried the flames beneath a mountain of foam. The portal vanished in an instant.

"Problem sorted!" exclaimed Dad, whilst everyone caught their breath back.

"You destroyed a priceless gemstone..." Mrs Crowe didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

The mass of foam had shrunk enough to reveal the shattered remains of the famed Hope Diamond. Gran picked one up and studied it. "I cannot feel any magic," she reported, tossing the fragment back to the ground.

Lyzera had just managed to figure out what had happened and clawed at the remains of the diamond. A terrible wail burst from her lungs. She kicked and punched the floor like a tantruming two-year-old.

Ursula turned to her grandson. "I have a few tasks for you, Thomas. Firstly, you will need to perform a spring cleaning spell, otherwise the caretakers will have a nightmare of a job when they find the state of this place tomorrow morning."

Tom glanced at the scorch marks on the carpet and knew she wasn't joking. "Sprash-afalla-wan-dah!" Snap!

They were briefly encompassed by a surge of rainbow light. When it cleared, the room looked the same as before, except the burns had disappeared, alongside the pile of foam and the chunks of glittering diamond.

Rather, a few centimetres away from Lyzera's head, he spotted something that sent shivers down his spine.

The spring cleaning spell had not only tidied up the museum - it had restored the gemstone!

Four pairs of eyes (and one triple) were transfixed upon the killer necklace, in case the magic Lyzera had unleashed started to escape once more.

"Gran?" mentioned Tom after a few minutes, "I don't think it's doing anything."

Ursula paced toward the jewel slowly. She bent over to pick it up and dangled it in her fingers. Gradually, she started beaming. "There is no need to worry! This gemstone is but a replica of the original diamond." She frowned. "How is that possible?" She thought about this for a few moments. "Of course... The Hope Diamond may have been fashioned from dark magic, rather than natural diamond. Your spring cleaning spell has transformed it into the real thing!"

Jeremy flung off his helmet. "Oh boy! You guys were AWESOME!"

Gran turned around, glaring in his direction.

"What?" defended Mr Wren, "I didn't hurt you! I'm on your side!"

"I'm afraid I have no tolerance for jewellery thieves."

Jeremy laughed it off. "Come on! Surely you can't turn me over after all I've helped you with! You couldn't have done it without me!"

"Perhaps not." She looked away, a darkly mischeivous expression forming upon her face. "Michael - could you escort him to the broom cupboard please?"

"You're gonna lock me in the broom cupboard?"

Dad clasped his wrist tightly.

"Please! Let me go! I promise I won't do anything to harm you!"

"Oh, don't worry! " reassured Mrs Crowe, "It's not as if the guards will actually know you tried to steal from the museum..."

Jeremy groaned. Mr Clarke herded away the well and truly defeated wizard burglar.

Lyzera tried to get up, but was she still too weak from the shock of being poisoned. Tom offered her his hand. She took it begrudgingly and soon rose to her feet.

It was then Ursula remembered that she still had a world-famous diamond in her hand. "I must put this back in its case," she muttered to herself, trotting off to the adjoining section.

She couldn't have missed the gemstone's case - it was positioned right in the middle of the room, the glass having been restored to its former state and the security beams surrounding it just as protectively as ever. There was no way she could simply place it back on its cushion! Granny resorted to setting it as near to the cabinet as possible, a few inches away from a laser beam. "There! That should do it."

She was about to head back to the other room when she discovered why Jeremy hadn't tried to threaten Michael with his gun when he was taken to the cupboard - he must have dropped it on the floor, and now Lyzera was holding it at Tom's neck

"Surrender, hag, or watch your grandson - in the words of my darling husband - be instantly obliterated."

"Don't, Gran!"

"I'm afraid I might have to-" Granny broke off.

Somewhere in the museum, a door had opened, and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't in the direction her son-in-law had taken.

"Who was that?" called a male American voice.

"The sleeping spell..." whispered Ursula, "It must have worn off."

"We've got to get out of here," hissed Thomas.

"If you don't show yourself now, I'm going to have to come in there..."

Lyzera diverted her eyes to see who was talking, before strolling toward the visitor, still holding her captive at gunpoint. "Who dares address the Lady Lyzera, Queen Regent of Nekron?" she boomed.

"Oh boy..." said the guard, dropping his weapon.

Lyzera aimed her own gun at his head. The officer raised his arms, breathing heavily.

"Move, and you will be destroyed."

"That's...not...real...is it?" worried the poor chap.

Mrs Crowe stared in absolute dread. There wasn't anything she could do to help him.

Then at that moment, Dad tapped her on the shoulder, handed her a cloth and gestured to her mouth. He went over to Tom, handed him a scarf, pulled on his Nekross helmet and cast down a canister just before Lyzera twigged what he was up to.

The Lady's eyes rolled upward as the substance reached her nostrils, and the handgun slipped from her grasp whilst her body toppled to the ground. The confused guardsman also collapsed into a relaxing slumber.

After the gas had dissipated, Mr Clarke removed his helmet. "Sleeping gas. Got it off the thief. I overheard Lyzera and thought you might need a diversion. Not sure how long it will hold a Nekross, though. We better get out of here!"

"Wait a second, Michael!" Granny restrained him. "Thomas? Would you please?"

Tom looked upward at the jewellery wing's security camera. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. "Wan-mal-ayesha-dah!" Snap!

A few moments passed.

"...and...what did that do?" asked Dad skeptically.

"I wiped the video cameras' memories of what happened in the last hour."

"All of them?" Gran looked around.

"All of them."

"It's time we head home," decided Michael.

Tom raised his fingers, and cast a passing charm. All three of them vanished in an instant.

Meanwhile, inside the television room, Morecambe stirred slightly and glimpsed a most alarming sight on the viewscreen. He immediately leapt up to check whether he'd seen what he thought he'd seen but by that time, the unusual visitors had completely disappeared.

Must be a trick, concluded Morecambe, and nestled back down on his desk for a further snooze.

...

"Varg!"

One of the king regent's tentacles wiggled slightly. He made a few grunts.

"VAAAAAAARG!"

The Nekross sprang to his feet.

"There is no escape, wizard half-form!"

He then caught sight of his wife standing a few metres away from him, hands on hips, a putrid scent coming from some disturbing brown stains on her bodice.

"Did you let the wizard halfling slip from your clutches again, husband?" she asked interrogatively.

"No, my Lady, I-"

It was then Varg noticed that the magic extractor was looking awfully empty.

"WHAT?!"

He had been there a minute ago!

"Imbecile!" cursed Lyzera, storming off the flight deck.

"Did you enter the portal?" attempted Varg.

The doors slammed shut behind her and the king regent decided it wasn't safe to ask any more.

...

Early the next morning, before the Natural History Museum opened to the public, a pair of guards were patrolling the Korean culture hall. Of course, Tom's spring cleaning spell had set all the models back in their original positions, but that didn't stop them from spotting something out of the ordinary.

"Um...Sawyer..."

"Huh?"

"You know those pretend swords?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...don't they look a little...sharper than usual? Anyone would think they were real."

"It's nothing, Rogers. Get back on track."

"Understood, sir."

THE END


End file.
